Best Garden Vacuum: UK Reviews (Electric, Cordless & Petrol)

If you can stretch your budget by around a fiver, the VonHaus 3-in-1 leaf blower, garden vacuum and mulcher is a better machine than the Q-Garden.

OK, the collection bag is only 35 litres compared to the 45 litres of the Q-Garden but the VonHaus is better in all other departments.

It’s powered by a 3,000-watt motor so clearing up leaves and other debris is quicker. And at 3.5kg it’s almost half the weight too. It has a shoulder strap but also a set of wheels on the end of the blower tube so working for prolonged periods of time is very comfortable.

Working between the vacuum and blower is super easy by flicking the big orange switch. The VonHaus performs surprisingly well too, given its bargain price.

Its leaf blower function is impressive and when you switch it to vacuum mode it picks up leaves with ease. It even handles wet leaves fairly well and mulches them brilliantly.

That said, if you bury the nozzle in a pile of leaves it has a tendency to block as it sucks too many at once. But by keeping the nozzle on the outside of the pile I had no problems at all.

As an added bonus, it comes with a two-year warranty.

Again, if you have a massive area to clear, this Vonhaus 3-in-1 leaf blower might not cut it, mainly because you’ll be limited by its 10-meter power cord.

However, for most regular-sized gardens it’s a fantastic piece of kit. And it’s not just me that thinks so, it comes very highly rated on Amazon too.

If you don’t like the idea of being limited by a power cable and you don’t want a petrol leaf blower, a cordless model is an excellent compromise.

The Black and Decker GWC3600L20 is powered by a 36-Volt 2.0Ah Lithium-Ion battery which takes around an hour to charge fully.

You have two power modes to choose from;

1. Turbo Mode – Works well for stubborn wet leaves stuck to the ground. You’ll get around 20 minutes of run time.
2. ECO Mode – Which is perfect for lighter tasks and also gives you more run time.

At 4.6kgs it’s pretty light and easy to use.

It also comes with two tubes; One has a narrower nozzle which is for blowing leaves and the other has a wider nozzle for sucking them up.

The collection back is also fairly small at 17.5 litres. That said, it mulches fairly well so 17.5 litres goes quite a long way.

The main downside is that it’s just not that powerful. It’s pretty good for light use when conditions are dry but because it lacks the grunt of even the cheaper, electric models in this list, it’s pretty useless when leaves are wet.

Don’t get me wrong, the Black and Decker is a decent cordless garden vacuum for light use in dry conditions.

However, if you don’t want to be lited by a power cord but you want the power, take a look at my next picks.

If budget is your main priority then the Q-Garden QBGV2500 has to be worth considering. You’ll probably not recognise the brand but for the very cheap price, you get a lot of machine.

It’s easy to assemble and use and at 2,500 watts, the motor is pretty powerful. I found it to be fairly lightweight too. It only weighs 6kg and it comes with a shoulder strap which makes it easier to swing side to side as you go.

It’s a 3-in-1 machine so you can use it as a leaf blower or garden vac and it’ll mulch the leaves too.

Switching from vacuum to blower is as simple as flicking a switch and I have to say, I was pretty impressed with its mulching capabilities. It creates quite a coarse dust which is perfect for mixing into the compost pile or soil to add nutrients.

Emptying the 45-litre bag is easy too. Just undo the zip and tip out the contents.

Naturally, though, there are a couple of issues;

Firstly, although the vacuum function works well when sucking up dry leaves, it’s not great when the leaves are wet. It can either fail to pick them up at all and if it does, it has a tendency to block.

Secondly, the tube length is quite short so if you’re on the taller side you might find yourself having to bend over slightly while using it. This might not sound like a big deal but it can be quite painful on your back.

Overall, if you have a fairly limited budget, a small garden, and you don’t see yourself using a leaf blower or garden vacuum all that often, the Q Garden QBGV2500 is a decent machine.

However, if you have a larger garden which you intend to keep free of fallen leaves you might want to consider a different machine.

If you need the freedom of a cordless model and more power, a petrol garden vacuum is your best bet.

The McCulloch GBV322 is a decent, well-priced option.

Powered by a 25cc 2-stroke engine it’ll blow up to 320km/h, making short work of blowing away even wet leaves.

Like the Black & Decker, changing it from a leaf blower to vacuum involves changing the tube. A benefit to this is that it stores away nice and compact.

That said, it’s preferable to vacuum any leaves when they’re dry or damp. Despite being more powerful than the cordless and electric models, I still found it had a tendency to jam when sucking up a lot of wet leaves, although it’s simple enough to unblock.

Considering it has a petrol engine, it’s surprisingly light at 4.25kg. I found it to light enough to hold in one hand, although it does get heavier the more you fill the 45-litre collection bag.

There are a couple of issues;

Firstly, I found it pretty to be pretty loud and secondly it vibrated a lot which made my hand feel like it was numb.

Overall, the McCulloch GBV322 is a decent garden vac for the money. Just remember though, it is fairly cheap so it’s not perfect.

If build quality and performance are more important to you than cost, then the Echo ES-250ES Shred ‘n’ Vac is a fantastic machine.

And although it’s more expensive than other machines on this list (around £250 at the time of writing), it still not overly expensive.

The build quality is exceptional which is reflected in the fact that it comes with a 5-year domestic guarantee.

It’s very easy to start and use. It performs excellently as both a leaf blower or garden vac, even when the leaves are wet. And it’ll mulch leaves are a ratio of 12:1, meaning you can pack loads of leaves into the collection bag.

The whole thing weighs 5.6kg and is designed to be used in one hand. All the controls are grouped together so you can get to them with your thumb. It also features a throttle lock so you don’t need to keep the trigger pressed which often tires your hand.

When I tested this machine it didn’t fail me once. It started every time, never blocked and it made quick work of tidying my garden.

Out of all of the models I’ve tested, the Echo ES-250ES Shred ‘n’ Vac that’s still in my shed. For me, it’s the best garden vac on this list.

I should start by saying that investing in the Billy Goat KV601 only makes sense if you have large areas of lawn and lots of trees. It’s far too big and much too expensive to use in regular gardens.

However, if you live in a manor house or stately home with lots of land then the £1,000 price tag makes much more sense.

It’s a beast and is really more of a light commercial garden vacuum.

It doesn’t convert to a blower and it doesn’t mulch the leaves it collects. It purely acts as a vacuum at which it performs incredibly well thanks to the 6hp engine which generates enormous suction power.

And it doesn’t just pick up leaves. This thing makes short work of twigs, small branches, mulch and litter. The front ‘head of the vacuum is 27″ wide so it hoovers a decent area at once.

4 twelve-inch wheels make it suitable for most terrains too, including lawns and hard surfaces. That said, it’s powerful enough to suck up stones off a gravel path so use it on these areas with caution.

The image above features a big green hose for reaching into flower beds, this is an optional extra so expect to pay more for it.

The collection bag holds 150 litres of leaves and debris. The redesigned bag is equipped with nautical fasteners instead of a zip which was prone to bursting when full of wet leaves.

As I said, the Billy Goat is more of a light commercial vehicle and that means it’s built like a bit of a tank, weighing 53kg. That said, it’s meant for pushing, not hand-holding so the weight shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

If it is, you do have the option to upgrade to the self-propelled version.

It’s fairly loud too at 88db so if you plan on using it for extended periods of time, it’s advisable to wear some kind of ear protection.

But for large areas, the Billy Goat KV601 and/or its self-propelled big brother are among the best you can get for large areas.